In a statement, the Department of Health and Human Services said Murthy had been asked to resign, and that he would be replaced temporarily by Rear Adm. Sylvia Trent-Adams, the current deputy Surgeon General.

“Today, Dr. Murthy, the leader of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, was asked to resign from his duties as Surgeon General after assisting in a smooth transition into the new Trump Administration,” the statement said.

“Dr. Murthy has been relieved of his duties as Surgeon General and will continue to serve as a member of the Commissioned Corps,” the statement continued, adding that Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price “thanks him for his dedicated service to the nation.”

Murthy had been surgeon general since 2014 and his sudden departure surprised employees at HHS, The New York Times reported.

Murthy called gun violence a health threat to the United States, however, which had won him opposition from the NRA.

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